FAB 4. 5 DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH AS COLLEGE BOWL SEASON BEGINS
The college football bowl season is set to begin on Saturday, December 17, and as the 2017 NFL Draft is less than six months away, it’s time to begin to focus on some draft prospects for the Buccaneers and watch some of these future NFL players in their final college games. Here are five draft prospects that are playing this week and could intrigue the scouting department at One Buccaneer Place:

Houston vs. San Diego State – Sat. Dec. 17 at 3:30 pm ET – ABC
While San Diego State running back Donnell Pumphrey is the headliner due to his 2,018 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns, but he’s projected as a fifth-round pick and a third-down back in the NFL due to his slight 5-foot-9, 180-pound frame. But the Aztecs prospect Bucs fans should keep an eye on is 5-foot-11, 190-pound cornerback Damontae Kazee.

Kazee posted seven interceptions during his senior year, including two against Hawaii – one of which was returned for a touchdown – and two last week in a 27-24 win over Wyoming in the conference championship game. His first career interception came at Ohio State during his freshman year, and he’s racked up 29 passes defensed and 17 career picks, including eight INTs last season. Kazee, who is regarded as a fourth-round pick, had three picks against San Diego as a junior and had his first pick-six against Wyoming a few months later.

Kazee, who has forced six fumbles in his career, can also contribute on special teams in the NFL as he blocked a kick against San Jose State as a freshman and returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown against UNLV last year.

Appalachian State vs. Toledo – Sat. Dec. 17 at 5:30 pm ET – ESPN
The player to watch in this game is Toledo senior running back Kareem Hunt, who has a nice mix of power, balance, vision and speed. Hunt checks in at 5-foot-11, 225 pounds and is built like Tampa Bay’s Peyton Barber, but only quicker and more explosive. Hunt has rushed for 1,355 yards and eight touchdowns on 255 carries this year, rushing for 100 yards or more seven times this year – including the last four games.

Hunt turned in a season-high 200 yards rushing and a touchdown on 20 carries in a 55-35 loss to Western Michigan in the conference championship game, but also showed his receiving skill, catching three passes for 73 yards against the Broncos. Hunt posted 265 yards and two touchdowns, including one from 91 yards, in a 27-20 win against Bowling Green during his sophomore year, and had career-high 271 yards and a personal-best five touchdowns against Arkansas State in a 63-44 win in the GoDaddy.com Bowl in 2014.

Hunt has logged 4,825 yards and 42 touchdowns on the ground in his four-year career at Toledo, with a career-high 1,631 yards coming in 2014. He’s also caught 71 passes for 529 yards and one touchdown with a career-high 39 receptions for 377 yards this season, which shows NFL teams how versatile his game has become. The Bucs could use a player like Hunt to come in and challenge Barber for the third running back spot next year.

UCF vs. Arkansas State – Sat. Dec. 17 at 5:30 pm ET – CBS Sports Network
The player to watch in this game is Arkansas State’s Chris Odom, a real sleeper at defensive end. Odom, the son of former NFL linebacker Cliff Odom, is a late bloomer as a pass rusher. After modest production for the first three years of his career (5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks), Odom burst onto the scene in 2016 in his first season as a starter.

Arkansas State DE Chris Odom – Photo by: Arkansas State

The 6-foot-4, 256-pound end recorded 52 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and a team-leading 12.5 sacks as a senior. None of those have come against any major schools, but he did notch a pair of sacks against Utah State, and three sacks against both South Alabama and Texas State, which shows he can get to the quarterback multiple times. Odom also forced four fumbles this season.

Unless he displays tremendous athleticism in pre-draft testing, there is a chance that Odom is a late-round pick or goes undrafted. But the fact that he can contribute on special teams, evidenced by four blocked kicks in his Red Wolves career, he might interest Tampa Bay as the Bucs have had some recent success with some undrafted defensive linemen, such as Jacquies Smith, Davonte Lambert and Channing Ward.

Memphis vs. Western Kentucky – Tues. Dec. 20 at 7:00 pm ET – ESPN
Jeff Brohm’s Western Kentucky offense puts up the points, and senior wide receiver Taywan Taylor has been responsible for many of them over his four-year career for the Hilltoppers. At 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, Taylor doesn’t have exceptional size or speed, as he figures to be in the 4.5-range. But he does find a way to go open and is a highly competitive receiver.

Taylor, who is expected to be a fifth-round pick in this deep receiver draft, has averaged 17 yards per catch in each of the last three seasons, and has 4,090 yards and 40 touchdowns in his WKU career. Taylor had a breakout season in 2015 as he caught 86 passes for 1,467 yards and 17 touchdowns. This year he had similar production with 89 catches for 1,586 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The Bucs could use a productive player like Taylor to compete with players like Adam Humphries and Freddie Martino for a roster spot next year in the slot or outside at receiver. Taylor would be a nice Day 3 value pick.

BYU vs. Wyoming – Wed. Dec. 21 at 9:00 pm ET – ESPN
While the passing duo of Wyoming sophomore quarterback Josh Allen, who has intrigued the NFL scouting community, and receiver Tanner Gentry may get top billing in this game, it’s actually junior running back Brian Hill that drives the Cowboys offense. Hill, who has rushed 749 times for 4,194 yards and 31 touchdowns in his career, has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. His coming out party was against Fresno State during his freshman season where he rushed for 281 yards and two touchdowns while catching three passes for 106 yards and another touchdown in a 45-17 win.

Hill has rushed for 100 yards or more 20 times in his career, and has eclipsed the 200-yard mark seven times, including a career-high 289-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 42-34 win over Nevada earlier this year. Hill had a breakout year in 2015, rushing 281 times for 1,631 yards (5.8 avg.) and six touchdowns, but has been even better as a junior with 323 carries for 1,767 yards (5.5 avg.) and a personal-best 21 touchdowns.

While he’s not asked to catch the ball much, evidenced by 40 career catches for 384 yards and one touchdown, Hill can do it, which makes him a versatile draft prospect in the third or fourth round should he come out. The 6-foot, 208-pound Hill reminds me of Arkansas running back Alex Collins from a year ago due to his aggressive running style. Hill runs with a sense of urgency and has a nice burst. He would be a nice addition to the Bucs’ backfield and would compete well against the likes of Peyton Barber and even Charles Sims.